Support for fishing rods



M. J. OTTO.

SUPPORT FOR FISHTNG RODS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-9.19M.

Patented Nov.

mma.

M'AXIMILIAN J. o'r'ro, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

surronr non FISHING-RODS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

Application filed October 9, 1517. Serial No. 195,493.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MAXIMILIAN J. One, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York,- have invented a new and useful Improvement in Supports for Fishing-Rod s, of which the following is a description.

This invention relates to devices for holding fishing poles or rods and, particularly, to a means by which the rod may be clamped and held in upright position against the rail of a boat or other similar or equivalent support.

Among the objects of my invention may be noted the following: to provide a detachable rod-holding means which is applicable to a boat rail or other similar support; to provide a rod-holding means which may be detachably secured to the rail of a boat and quickly shifted thereon lengthwise or circularly, as desired; to provide a rod-holding means for yieldingl holding the rod in up right position whic 1 may be snapped upon a circular rail, or bar, or which may be detachably secured to an angular rail or bar; to provide a device such as noted in the foregoing which may be shifted to operative position for use and into inoperative position when not in use.

With the above objects in view, and others which will be detailed during the course of this description, my invention consists in the parts, features, elements and combinations thereof hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I have provided drawings wherein: p

Figure 1 is a top plan view of one form of my device set in operative position upon a circularrail or bar;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of another form of my invention; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation thereof.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1 to 3, the supporting means 1 is shown in the form of a tubular bar or rail such as is usually employed on yachts and small boats as a guard-rail. The holder shown is produced from a single piece of stiff, resilient Wire, the same being bent to form the rod-encircling loop 2, spring clamping or holding arms 3,

and manipulating handle l, the spring arms 3 and loop 2 being connected by a substan tially straight, twisted bar 5. As shown in Fig. 1, the loop 2 is composed of two strands of wire spread somewhat from front to rear in the form of a broad based V, the two strands being bent into substantially semicircular form, and, at the rear terminals of the loop, being bent to form the enlargements 6, or spring eyes or hinges, ,from which the wire is bent inwardly to form shoulders 7, and then upwardly or outwardly to produce the manipulating handle 4; in the form of a loop normally lying between the two strands of the encircling loop 2. Thus the shoulders 7 the bar in cooperation 'ith the broadened base 8 of the loop with conside able friction; and, as the shoulders 7 and the broadened base 8 are, VlIBD PI'QSSG/Cl upon the bar and in operative position, below the horizontal diameter of said bar, the latter is firmly clamped and the holding device may be frictionally held upon the bar in any position of adjustment, either circularly or longitudinally of the latter. Moreover, by )roducing the spring eyes 6, in the position s iown, the handle i above the shoulders 7 is caused to grip the bar with considerable friction, and the holder may be shifted by n'ianipulating the handle, and may be removed by pressing the handle backwardly or to the right, Fig. 3, thus releasing the shoulders from engage-- ment with the bar, and sin'rultaneously lifting the holder. Preferably, the connection between the loop 2 and the spring arms -21) is downwardly inclined from one to the other, thus locating the spring arms 3 in a horizontal plane considerably below the horizontal diameter of the bar when the holder is in operative position on the bar. The spring arms 3 are strengthened and given a firm hold upon the rod set therebetween, by making the same double, as shown in the figures, and bending their outer ends into strengthening and stiffening eyes 9. The connection between the spring arms and the supporting loop is rendered strong by several times twisting the strands of wire around each other, the ends of the wire from which the device is made being cut off or allowed to terminate in the connection 5, as shown at 5*, Fig. 1.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that the rod-holder can be set in place upon the rail or bar by pressing are made to clamp the holder upon the bar until the latter is in engagement with the loop 2, and that, when it is desired to shift the holder from place to place on the bar, eitherlongitudinally or circularly, the feat can 'be accomplished by,

either manipulating the handle a, for circular adjustment, or placing the thumb and Figs. -1 and 5, a flexible band 10 may be employed to secure the holder. to the rod or rail, whether the latter be circular. or round, as in F i 1, or angular, as in Figs. et and 5, where said rail is indicated by 11. The band may be a leather or canvas strap provided with buckle and eyelets, as shown, or any other form of fastener may be employed for securing the holder in place. Adjustment may be made by loosening the band or strap 10 and shifting the holder either lengthwise of the rail or around the rail, as explained above with reference to the form of Figs. 1 to 3. The holder, in the form of my inventionof' Figs. 4 and 5, consists of a strand of wire bent to form the double spring arms 12,

the twisted connection 13, and the loops 14',

the latter being shown in Fig. d as elongated {S0 as to receive, with more .or less friction,

the band 10. To secure the holder in place upon the-bar, the end of the band is slipped through first one and then the other of the 1 loops 1a and is then carried about the supporting rail or :bar. By disposing the loops 1% at substantially an obtuse angle to the clamping arms 12, the rod-holder can be maintained, by pressure ofthe strap, fairly rigidly in a horizontal position, as shown 1n Fig. 0, the loops being held in spread-apart relation, with more or less pressure, against the said bar; and this is equally true, whether the bar be angular, as shown in Fig. 5, or round, as shown in Fig. 1. The ends of the strand of wire may be terminated at one end of the loops 1 1, as shown, for example, at 15, Fig. 4.

From the foregoing description, it will be clear that I have provided a rod-holding means which will support the rod in up right position, thus preventing it from falling upon the deck of the vessel or floor of the pier or dock where one may be fishing, or from falling into the water; which will also prevent the line from becoming entangled; and by means of which one may set several rods in position with the lines baited and at trail in the water, thus enabling him to see and watch several poles at the same time. Vhen the holder is not in use, it may be quickly shifted aside longitudinally of the rail or support, or turned circularly under the latter, thus preventing it from interfering with the fisherman or from becoming accidentally pushed off the support.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A holder for fishing rods comprising a pair of spring-arms forming a substantially circular socket for receiving and holding the rod when set in an upright position; a spring clamp for engaging a horizontally disposed support; and a handle projecting from the last mentioned spring clamp for manipulating the latter to relieve pressure of the same upon the support and enable the holder to be readily shifted on or removed from the support.

2. A holder for fishing rods made of a single piece of resilient wire and bent so as to form at one end an open jawed spring clamp for the reception of the rod and at its other end so as to form an open jawedspring clamp for engaging a supporting medium, the wire at the second spring clamp being bent to form a resilient arm constituting a handle operating to produce pressure upon the supporting medium and to be manipulated to remove such pressure and enable the holder to be. shifted on, or removed from, the supporting medium, the intermediate portions of the wire between the two clamps being twisted together so as to form a substantially rigid connecting stem.

MAXIMILIAN J. OTTO. 

